About 20 children signed up to learn more about food insecurity on Monday during a camp organized by the North Texas Food Bank

Dallas, Texas – The North Texas Food Bank spearheaded its inaugural summer camp for children this past Monday. Approximately twenty youthful participants enlisted to receive an enlightening education on the critical subject of food scarcity.

“In North Texas, we have one of the highest rates of food insecurity in children,” said Elizabeth Campo, a North Texas Food Bank volunteer specialist, to NBC DFW. “Their peers are facing food insecurity, so it’s important to know what their peers are going through.”

Estimates suggest that as many as one in every five children in North Texas contend with food insecurity—a sobering reality. The innovative North Texas Food Bank Kids Camp employs an engaging approach using play money to enable the young campers to envisage budget allocation and subsequently grasp the scant remainder left for nourishment.

Austin Monroy, an eleven-year-old resident of Dallas, interpreted the lesson poignantly.

“So it’s kind of like the golden rule: treat others like you want to be treated,” he said. “If he can’t afford meals after he’s done paying for bills and stuff like that, then we have to help them. We have to give them the food he cannot afford.”

The camp’s program included a tour of the food bank warehouse, allowing the participants a first-hand look at the journey their donated food cans make before reaching those in dire need. They also gained practical experience packing meals for distribution and spent invaluable time in the garden understanding the basics of self-sustenance through gardening.

“I’ve learned that you should give people food ’cause you don’t really experience what they’ve went through,” said 8-year-old Phoenix Badon, of Dallas. “I hope they enjoy it.”

“I think it’s just beautiful to hear such young minds thinking that already,” Campo said. “I just hope as they grow they continue to learn that they can give back. Every dollar makes a difference and every minute makes a difference.”

The North Texas Food Bank Kids Camp conducts its enriching sessions every Monday, welcoming a fresh batch of campers each week. A nominal fee of $30 not only covers camp costs but also enables the food bank to provide 90 meals. For further information or to register for this life-affirming initiative, please visit the North Texas Food Bank’s website.